Any tests done on Vampire battery drain?

[Olsonsolar]

I know they are completely different vehicles but our Chevy Volt, we can leave it parked for 3 months when away and charge it before hand at about 30-40% SOC leave it unplugged from the charger but put a trickle charger on the 12 volt (per Chevy Volt owners manual) and come back 3 months later and the SOC is right where I left it. The Rivian is looking like a very expensive vehicle to keep charged when not in use. Not to mention the problem of going someplace for a week or 2 where no charging is available puts a new meaning on Adventure Vehicle.

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[Superdad]

Waiting for max pack doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

 

[Zybane]

Waiting for max pack doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

Max Pack just to combat vampire drain

 

[zefram47]

Wonder if they could add around 100-150W of solar panels on the roof to help keep the 12V topped off to help mitigate this if they can't solve it in software. Obviously it would only help in full-sun, but for parking at a trailhead or the airport it would probably help.

 

[Riviot]

Wonder if they could add around 100-150W of solar panels on the roof to help keep the 12V topped off to help mitigate this if they can't solve it in software. Obviously it would only help in full-sun, but for parking at a trailhead or the airport it would probably help.

Is this considered wireless charging? ?

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Waiting for max pack doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

The bigger battery might attract more Vampires though... ?‍ ?‍ ?‍

 

[PoorDick]

Just returned after 14 days of her sitting quietly in the garage. Not plugged in, GearGuard off, and left with about 70% SOC. Today she has 37 miles of range remaining, and here's the kicker I haven't read from anyone else yet, the cabin temp is 79 degrees. Outside it was in the mid-20's overnight and the garage stays around 60. Concerning to say the least...

 

[Rousie13]

Just returned after 14 days of her sitting quietly in the garage. Not plugged in, GearGuard off, and left with about 70% SOC. Today she has 37 miles of range remaining, and here's the kicker I haven't read from anyone else yet, the cabin temp is 79 degrees. Outside it was in the mid-20's overnight and the garage stays around 60. Concerning to say the least...

Um…..that’s interesting. Do you have any seat belts buckled or something sitting on a seat? I saw someone else had issues because of these causes. If not, then that is very interesting.

 

[Craigins]

here's the kicker I haven't read from anyone else yet, the cabin temp is 79 degrees.

Rivian logic: we won't need to precondition the cabin if it is always conditioned *galaxy brain*

 

[Ralph]

I can't leave my wife's 8 year old Subaru sitting as long as I can leave my 19 year old Nissan. So even with ICE it looks like the more tech the more power loss.

A known problem in Subaru's that is not reflective of the additional tech.

 

[electruck]

Just returned after 14 days of her sitting quietly in the garage. Not plugged in, GearGuard off, and left with about 70% SOC. Today she has 37 miles of range remaining, and here's the kicker I haven't read from anyone else yet, the cabin temp is 79 degrees. Outside it was in the mid-20's overnight and the garage stays around 60. Concerning to say the least...

Was the truck also unlocked?

 

[DJG]

Just returned after 14 days of her sitting quietly in the garage. Not plugged in, GearGuard off, and left with about 70% SOC. Today she has 37 miles of range remaining, and here's the kicker I haven't read from anyone else yet, the cabin temp is 79 degrees. Outside it was in the mid-20's overnight and the garage stays around 60. Concerning to say the least...

I think what we are seeing with all of this topic (and perhaps the charging too) is the tradeoff for the really good battery warranty they are providing. They are going out of their way to obsessively manage battery conditions. There is no other EV that would have a cabin temp disparity like that on its own.

So, the tradeoff is less degradation, longevity and the comfort of the warranty, in exchange for a little higher operating cost. For the vast majority of people/use cases it's not a big deal because you shouldn't leave it unplugged for any significant length of time. For airports, most have option to plug in, or just take alternative transportation. For extended and remote camping, plan accordingly (and hopefully they create a manual override for use in select instances).

 

[electruck]

I think what we are seeing with all of this topic (and perhaps the charging too) is the tradeoff for the really good battery warranty they are providing. They are going out of their way to obsessively manage battery conditions. There is no other EV that would have a cabin temp disparity like that on its own.

So, the tradeoff is less degradation, longevity and the comfort of the warranty, in exchange for a little higher operating cost. For the vast majority of people/use cases it's not a big deal because you shouldn't leave it unplugged for any significant length of time. For airports, most have option to plug in, or just take alternative transportation. For extended and remote camping, plan accordingly (and hopefully they create a manual override for use in select instances).

I disagree, cabin temperature has no bearing on battery longevity. Most of this is just new product issues that Rivian should be able to resolve over the coming months.

 

[jjswan33]

Clearly everyone needs to configure the underbody shield to help protect the battery from vampires... I mean can vampire teeth puncture carbon fiber????

 

[DJG]

I disagree, cabin temperature has no bearing on battery longevity. Most of this is just new product issues that Rivian should be able to resolve over the coming months.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Obviously cabin temperature doesn't have anything to do with the battery health. What I'm saying is that the act of conditioning the cabin affects the battery temperature. So there could be logic in the BMS that says, if temps in cabin/battery drops below a certain level, run the heat to warm up.

The broader point I'm making is that I don't think what we're talking about is truly "vampire" drain in that it is just completely wasted energy (like a leak in a gas tank). A very small amount might be, but I think the majority is going to a purpose, whether it be communications, battery management, whatever. People may disagree with that purpose, whatever it is, but I don't think drain at the level of 5kwh per 24 hours is just evaporating into thin air.

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